sports Taylor Chase's role on the Nevis boys basketball team has changed over the last four years.
As an eighth grader and freshman, Chase was a role player. Last year, Chase became one of the Tigers' main scoring threats. This year, Chase is the go-to player on the offensive end.
The 6-foot-3 junior guard...
Park Rapids, 56470

Park Rapids Minnesota PO Box 111 56470

2013-03-04 17:10:26

Taylor Chase's role on the Nevis boys basketball team has changed over the last four years.

As an eighth grader and freshman, Chase was a role player. Last year, Chase became one of the Tigers' main scoring threats. This year, Chase is the go-to player on the offensive end.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The 6-foot-3 junior guard reached a scoring milestone in Nevis' 80-65 win at Red Lake Tuesday night. Chase scored a team-high 30 points to surpass 1,000 in his career to become the seventh member in the history of the Nevis boys basketball program to reach that milestone.

"Taylor has been playing varsity basketball in some capacity since the 8th grade," said Nevis head coach Scott Kramer. "He has gone from being a reserve, to a role player and now to developing into a leader. It has been a pleasure to coach him and to see his development over the seasons."

As an eighth grader, Chase played in 16 games and had 38 points, 22 rebounds, three steals and two assists.

In 29 games as a freshman, Chase vastly improved his production by averaging 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds a game. Chase scored 303 points (including a high of 21) and had 103 rebounds while tallying 57 assists, 44 steals and 14 blocked shots. Chase tied for second on the team in rebounds and was third in scoring that season.

Last year, Chase was second on the team in points (314 with a high of 22) and steals (68) and tied for second in assists (52) while averaging 12.1 points and 4.4 rebounds a game. Chase grabbed 115 rebounds and had 10 blocks in 26 games.

Chase took over the scoring load this season by leading the Tigers in scoring at 22.3 point a night while averaging 6.3 rebounds a night. In 16 games, Chase has scored 356 points with 101 rebounds, 56 assists, 46 steals and 11 blocks. Chase set a school record with 42 points against Pillager and has scored at least 20 points in 10 of the 16 games.

"Taylor is a gym rat who is always wanting to improve his game. He also has the advantage of being a guard at 6-3, which enables him to take advantage of a lot of mismatches," said Kramer. "He has played AAU for the past few seasons and it has really made him a better player."

In addition to leading the Tigers with 30 points, Chase had six assists and five steals in the win over Red Lake. Jake Keranen added 12 points and 11 rebounds while Matt Gustafson had 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. Bryon Schuldt contributed 10 points and six rebounds while Gerald Beckerleg had 9 points and five assists as the Tigers improved to 3-5 in the Northland Conference and 8-8 overall.

Red Lake defeated the Tigers 61-50 earlier in the year. The loss dropped Red Lake to 6-2 in the conference and 12-8 overall.

"This was probably our best game of the year from start to finish," said Kramer, whose team trailed 37-33 at the half. "We defended well throughout, but more importantly, we were able to hit shots on offense and we had balanced scoring. It was a huge win for us."